When the park calls you it’s time to go
Parks & Recreation, where recreation is as integral as parks. Parks exist for the recreation of citizens. For a tiny town of 2,079, we are blessed to have more than 2700 acres in parks. Local native, Sam Dudley, leads this crucible of a department that only has eight full time employees.
“A lot of it maintains itself because it’s nature,” Sam said. He will tell you the Eureka Springs used to be a bit more rowdy in the’90s. “In the days before cell phones, people actually had to go out and find their friends. That brought adventure and socialization. We weren’t relying on our phones and media to do that.”
Sam took over as director in March 2023, after being the trail coordinator. He has walked all these trails, including the Passion Play trail system. Parks and Recreation maintains 25 miles of trails plus the downhill mountain bike trails.
In Sam’s opinion, trails are the best way to connect with nature. “There are times when have to go deep in woods to deal with a tree down across a trail and stumble on wild hogs and snakes. “Many parts of Leatherwood City Park have no cell service,” he said. “Hence the names Lost Ridge and Hyde Hollow, very easy to get lost.” He said a trails person’s nightmare is maintaining power line easements because of all the chemicals they spray on the grass and briars.
When I asked Sam why I see him weed eating and picking up trash, he said he learned from former employee that if he doesn’t do it, he can’t expect it.
“If I’m not out here doing the work and doing some of these things that need to happen, it’s going to make my employees not want to do it,” he said. “But if they see everyone getting in the trenches it’s going to inspire them. They see me doing it, too. We all have to step up, leading by example.”
Sam described Lake Leatherwood City Park as an outdoor Mecca: swimming, fishing, boating, hiking, cycling downhill trail systems, ball fields. He said that trails are great way to get recreation out of a park, but they have to be properly planned to not damage an environment that was intended to be playful.
“There is a balance for sure,” he said. “You could definitely mess stuff up if a trail is built the wrong way, if you don’t take into account the setting that it’s in.
“In Bentonville they have good trails, but you don’t really feel that you are in the wilderness. But you drive 45 minutes over here and ride trails that are really in the woods. And you might not see a single other person, not an experience you get in Bentonville, one that feels like exploring because you are.”
Parks and Recreation has renovated their cabins at Leatherwood and did it pretty much with in-house labor. They have built a new website and are working on marketing. Leatherwood has a new logo and is in hopes for a new sign.
Parks has hired a full time, year around park manager, Juanita Drought.
“She brings a lot of experience because she used to run a river outfitters’ business,” Sam said. “She is in love with the water and fits in perfectly.”
He says this job requires customer service, knowledge of boats and a strong knowledge for history of the area. However, the most important thing is caring.
“When you find somebody who really does care, you try to hold on to them. That’s the most important thing, actually caring. If you don’t care you won’t learn or improve. You have to care about what do. I have a team that definitely does that.”
Sam has been a major proponent of installing local art in the parks. He even brought Humpty Dumpty back, and art by Stephen Feilbach and Jessica Ames Russell.
“It kind of drives me crazy sometimes to see people reaching out to Bentonville and Fayetteville just because there are more facilities. But they don’t have the talent we have. We have amazing people here. We should try to tap into that first. If you can’t find anybody to do it, then reach out. I ask around first, ‘Is there anybody local?’
“It’s cool to support our local economy. The more we can keep our economic bubble intact, the better off everybody is.”
Parks and Recreation is holding a fundraiser on Friday, June 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 at GotaHold Brewery and Twisted Taco. Don Matt and Scott Thompson will provide music.
While doing my daily hike in Leatherwood Park I found Sam Dudley, parks director, pulling weeds from the baseball infield. Sam is a hands on director! He drives his own truck while doing his job too! Another director drove a parks vehicle as if he owned it.
Sam’s doing a great job for our city!